Not Just Adventures
by colsamcarter
Summary: It seemed that with River, life was always an adventure - but sometimes there were bits in between that The Doctor enjoyed more. They may not have been adventures, but they were well worth the mention - and the wait. ABANDONED/COMPLETE - EACH CHAPTER STANDS ALONE.
1. Two

**So this is the first instalment of a drabble series I've been meaning to write for ages, but just haven't got around to doing between updating my other fic and real life. However, I've finally gotten round to it, and this is the first chapter – based on a prompt from Missjulia(dot)Miriam, my 100th reviewer on my other fic (which makes her awesome). Prompt was "Two", and this is set as the first time he sees her after AGMGTW - thought I'd start with one that's relevant to our timeline. Basically the idea with the series is just loosely connected one-shots which don't really have any overall plot apart from the general 11/River story. Will probably be fluffy at most points :) I hope you like this first chapter and please leave me a review if you like where this is going!**

_Disclaimer: DW, 11 and River belong to The Beeb and The Moff. They are all almighty and I am all humbly. Can I borrow them?_

**1. Two**

"I've been wondering..." He begins, looking at her from around the central console.

"Well, you often are, Sweetie." She points out. She's taken control of his TARDIS again, but he can't say that he minds - this is the first time they've been alone together since America and he's content just to watch her for a while. If he's perfectly honest, a lot of his time recently has been spent thinking about seeing her again soon, what he would say (which of course involved a really clever joke), and maybe... maybe a kiss. Or two. Or _more_. In fact, if he is perfectly honest with himself, he wouldn't mind lots of kisses. _Lots._

"I'm serious, River - I want to know." She is tapping out words and numbers in a quick staccato rhythm on the keyboard, occasionally glancing up to look at the scanner.

"Alright then - what do you want to know? And just to warn you, I may not be able to answer - Spoilers and all that." She shrugs as if it's something that is completely outside her control - which it of course isn't - but she is adhering to his rules.

"OK, I'll bear that in mind, but - I was just curious. Just how much of a timelord are you?" He looks at her curiously, getting up from where he's been sitting in one of the jumpseats and taking small careful steps around the console towards her in a way that's almost cautious. She diverts her attentions from navigating The TARDIS, looking up as he draws closer and biting down on her lip.

"Hmm... I'm not sure if I'm allowed to answer that one..." She grins, but his response isn't disappointment or retaliation like it normally is when he's refused information, but frustration, and he demonstrates this by almost whining his disdain for being refused again.

"Oh come on! I'm tired of the spoilers! I just want to know about your basic bodily functions!" She practically snorts at that.

"Charming." She puts her hands on her hips, and The Doctor decides that this is something she needs to do more often, because she looks very, _very_ nice. Crap, she's noticed his eyes being drawn to her waistline - so he snaps his head back up in the vain hope that she doesn't bring it up in the conversation. She doesn't, but she reprimands him silently with her eyes - only she somehow manages to look disappointed in him and pleased with herself at the same time, some new height of smugness that only she could achieve. It feels like they're having two conversations at once - the verbal one that's going on between their lips, then that other one... the body language, flirtatious glances - and those glistening amused eyes when she catches him looking at her. He's not sure which conversation he enjoys more, and for a moment he's gotten sidetracked and replied to her verbal statement with a wink instead of speaking, so he unwillingly tears his eyes from her lips and replies.

"Not like that - I mean... Can you regenerate?" Just how many bodies has she had? He has too many questions and there isn't enough time in the universe for her to answer them all, even if she agreed too.

"Spoilers!" She sings.

"OK..." He'll have to be more inventive. "What's your internal body temperature?" His is 15 degrees, although it doesn't feel like it at this point in time - at some point during the exchange he's drawn much closer than he'd realised, and he's suddenly much more aware of his body, now only a couple of inches from hers.

"Spoilers!" He wonders if there's some kind of limit as to how many times he can hear that catchphrase before he gets really fed up and kisses her just to shut her up - or for other, more physical or hormonal reasons.

"Have you got any telepathic abilities?" This is something he's been particularly curious about - as well as weary. He knows she's clever - alarmingly so, although he doesn't know quite how clever or if it's an inhuman intelligence - but he's quite worried that she's formed some kind of telepathic connection with his future self and it translates to his current form. The idea that she's been able to feel his emotions all this time is worrying to say the least, not to mention embarrassing and... maybe - useful.

"Spoilers!" Drat. He's reached the limit, he refuses to hear her say it again. He goes with a more simple, more currently relevant question.

"Where are we going?" She opens her mouth to speak, her lips beginning to form the inevitable word, but he holds his finger against them - if he hears that word just _one_ more time...

"If you say spoilers again, I _will_ drop you back in prison." He's worried at first, because he hadn't meant to initiate this kind of contact, but instead of the 'ohnoyoudidn't' face he's expecting, she reacts positively to the action. Perhaps this is something he should take note of - touching River was more likely to amuse her than make her angry - and that would be _very_ useful. He'll definitely keep that in mind.

"Oh come on! Where's your sense of humour gone?" She smiles mischievously, and because this is the first time he's been able to study her smile up close like this, he takes the opportunity to _really_ appreciate those dimples. The more he examines her, watches the tiny movements of her head, the closer his body gets to hers, until he's centimetres away from being pressed against her form from head to toe. "Don't say you're not enjoying this just a little bit..."

"I can't say I am, River. I understand the need for secrets, but I need to find out these things sometime - so why not now?" He knows it's silly, but he tries to... growl a little. Growl, while he's talking, in the vain hope that she'll get distracted. The growling thing is new, but apparently not for her, because her eyes darken in a way that's utterly terrifying because it's like she _recognises _the tone (which she probably does) and her breath hitches in her chest momentarily before she exhales as if she's trying to keep her cool. This is the first time she's been affected this way by anything he's done (or at least shown it, anyway) and he decides that he'll have to growl more often.

"If I told you everything you wanted to know when you asked about it, what would I do for entertainment? You need to find out some things on your own." The growling he's been letting line his words while he speaks is mirrored in her response - her voice sounds thicker than before, and he swallows just thinking about it.

"What kind of things?" He raises an eyebrow, feeling almost proud that's he's the one that brings the first hint of sex into the conversation. He's rather looking forward to the time when he can talk like that freely, because he's had a taste at flirting with River, and he thoroughly expects it to become a staple in their conversation from now on.

"Oh, _all_ sorts..." This has really gotten out of hand now - the banter has become flirting, and now he's found his body pushing against hers into the console, and he can't say he doesn't like it...

"Can't wait..." He manages to whisper, before most of his coherent thoughts are extinguished. All he can hear now is The TARDIS humming warmly around them, and their breathing, and... heartbeats. His - just like he can always hear when he's flustered, but now hers, as well. But this is different, because he's not just hearing his heartbeats, or their heartbeats. He's hearing _hers._ Heartbeat**_s_**.

"How many hearts do you have, River?" He asks quietly.

"Spoilers." It comes out in a whisper.

"Don't..." He closes most of the remaining space between them. "Don't say anything. " He pulls away from her then, and she sighs as the pressure on her body disappears.

"What are you doing?" She asks, as he reaches out his hand toward her shoulder.

"Finding out something on my own..." He holds his hand just below her right shoulder, where he knows at least one heart rests. Sure enough, he can feel a heart - but it's beating out loudly almost three times a second. He slowly, painstakingly drags his hand across the line of her clavicle, until he reaches an identical vibration on the opposite side of her chest. His head lifts slowly, and he raises his other hand to brush a stray curl of hair from her eyes.

"You've - You've got two hearts..." He allows the lightest of smiles to lift the corners of his mouth, looking at her in a whole new light of admiration. "Two hearts."

"Two hearts." She nods, biting her lip again.

"Just two?" He grins. She laughs, the most delightful sound falling on his ears.

"You're welcome to continue looking, Sweetie." The growl is back.

"I might have to take you up on that offer." For both of them.

"I bet you will - as you have before. _Many_ times." Her eyes are still glistening with mischief, but his are darkened now. They've built up to this point, to the climax of their flirtation, only this time there aren't any companions around - or anyone at all for that matter - to stop the proceedings, so as he's lost for any kind of witty response to that last while their faces are so close together and he can _feel_ her breath on his chin, he decides that the only logical solution to the current situation would be not to use his words; which have served him so well to get him to this point, but to forbid the inevitable condescending and/or cheeky remark that's going to come out of those lips - that he's had his eyes focused on for a good minute - and kiss her.

It's only their second kiss for him, but it feels like much, much later - like it is for her. Instead of something new and foreign like it was the last time, it's still new - and the excitement is still there - but he feels comfortable taking it further, taking the lead and pushing her against the console again, but harder this time. She responds in kind, wrapping her arms - that she's had pinned to her side to restrain her from touching him affectionately at any given moment in the conversation - around his shoulders and pressing her hands to the back of his neck, pulling him closer.

She stops it before it gets much more heated than that - but she does let it drag on for at least five minutes for good measure. She's not complaining - the young Doctor may be slightly inexperienced compared to the versions she's used to kissing, but he's eager to please, and it's all very new and exciting for him. Despite the fact that she wants to kiss him for longer each time she sees him, for fear of not being able to kiss him at all soon enough, she can't push him when he's this early, even though she isn't sure that he'd object this time, because he's looking considerably turned on and his eyelids are drooping and it takes him at least five minutes before he seems in full control of his limbs and speech.

**Review if you like where this is going? Pwease? **


	2. Falling

**Ooh! Thanks for reviewing/favouriting/alerting! Here's another chapter for you!**

**This is another of MissJulia(dot)Miriam's prompts - the second out of five that I'm working on at the moment - and the prompt was 'Falling'. ****  
><strong>**This one is also fairly near our time, except a little bit ahead – as much as I like to think that The Doctor is already completely in love with her, I think it'll take a bit more time after the reveal, and so this is how I imagine him realising that he is. I've got some other ideas coming from a completely different place in their timelines, but just thought I'd ease my way in with a younger Doctor.**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. I do however own a pair of knockoff converse purchased in Vietnam that are a lovely TARDIS blue - I don't suppose that counts?_

2. Falling

For the first time in a long time, The Doctor allows himself to feel truly weightless. It's been a while since he's allowed himself this kind of freedom to float effortlessly in and around thoughts like these, and he closes his eyes in an attempt to block out the rushing of blood in his ears. This is, of course, not very logical - he can't close his ears, and the rushing seems almost louder. It takes his mind less than a fraction of a second to bring River into his thoughts.

Everything was much simpler before he knew who she was – he was allowed to feel whatever he liked, without having to realise the subtext of these emotions because he didn't trust her completely yet. He trusted her conventionally – because even when he'd first met her she had given her life to save millions, and as he got to know her better he could plainly see she trusted him implicitly. When Octavian had told him that she'd killed someone, it had made everything easier, because he had had a reason to keep her at arm's length. Now that he knew who she was, the trust was completely and utterly _there_. It frightened him how suddenly she had become the person he trusted the most, and once he had stopped resisting his feelings, he was able to finally hold her in the same light that she knew he would eventually. He had always known that it would happen – it was inevitable – and he had felt safe in the knowledge that he was obligated to love her, because it was written in time.

It isn't obligation anymore. He loves her. He's sure this time. It's not safe anymore – but he doesn't want it to be. He wants it to be dangerous and sexy and exciting and new and everything that he hopes it'll be. It already is, and it feels exhilarating and beautiful to be exposed to her love.

His heart beats a syncopated tattoo against his ribcage, and he can hear himself yelling against his own will, out of sheer wonder and excitement of the sensation. In this moment, the universe could've been silent apart from the noise of the wind rushing against his ears.

He can't even remember why he's here until he sees that the ground is getting much, much closer – and then he realises that he's falling. He remembers that he's fallen.

He isn't scared, though. He just waits for the familiar blue to flash before his eyes like he knows it will. When it does, it looks like it's falling too – except it's not. It's flying – downwards, but it's flying. It's flying faster than he is falling, and it's at least 2000 feet below him when it stops and spins until it seems like it's floating in the air. The doors of the box are flung open, and an eerie green column shoots out, bathing him in light.

Sooner than he can say 'zero-gravity air corridor' he stops falling, and instead of smacking into the box at 120 miles an hour, he floats downwards gently. She's been lightning-fast, and so he has a full-minute to admire her standing in The TARDIS, leaning against the doorframe and smiling up at him. They're both horizontal, but everything seems the right way up. To The Doctor, everything seems... right. This is how his life is supposed to be – running and loving her and trusting her with his life every other day – the days she's not trusting him with hers. It's the first time he's fallen. It's also the first time he's trusted her to catch him – he guesses he's lucky that the two coincide.

As he draws closer, she reaches out her hand – and he reaches out his in an attempt to hold it, except then the light all around him flickers before vanishing completely. He hovers for a moment before dropping into The TARDIS. As he passes through the doorframe, his body collides with hers and they topple to the floor. He's still giddy from the sensation of the fall, and they giggle together like teenagers. He attempts to pull himself up, but he trips and crashes down on top of her, making them laugh even harder.

"Sorry about that," she says with a grin, "You know it's hell trying to sustain a zero-gravity air corridor."

"I'm safe, aren't I?" He tries and fails to get up again, grinning. "I knew you'd catch me."

"Don't I always?" She untangles their legs, straightening his bowtie.

He stops and thinks. This is the first time she's caught him. This is the last time she'll catch him. Shit. He saw the look on her face the last time something like this happened – he doesn't want to tell her. He'll just wave it of. He can't see her face like that again, because it kills him.

"Yeah, but that doesn't make it any less great..." Hopefully she'll assume that the reason his answer is total crap is because he's just fallen out of an airship and is still a little light-headed. She doesn't show any signs of suspicion. He vows not to have to distract her again because of things like this – he'll have to do everything at once, or something – maybe he can have as many firsts as possible, so it will last that little bit longer. Maybe he can take her with him this time – that way any firsts for him might not be lasts for her.

He kisses her fully on the mouth, his palms resting on the floor of the console room as he braces his forearms either side of her head, her fingers twining in her curls. She responds eagerly, her hands travelling up from where they've been resting on his shoulders until they're at the base of his neck, her thumbs brushing his cheekbones gently. His kiss isn't searching or sweeping like the ones she's been getting lately – those were slow and passionate, like he'd just gotten to know everything about her and he wanted to explore everything about her, map her body out square inch by square inch. With this kiss he is kissing her like he's just discovered it, like it's a secret that someone else could find out about and try to take from him. It's quick and breathtaking and quite frankly, hot. She moans into his mouth, and this only seems to encourage him, but then she parts her legs slightly and he sinks closer to her.

She curses inwardly as he pulls away, but decides not to take it personally. Perhaps they're not there yet... except the last time she saw him they were, and it didn't seem like it was his first time. Either their timelines aren't completely jumbled up or they do it soon. She quite likes this idea – she's always wondered what The Doctor's first time with her was like. He'd never told her anything more than a few whispered secrets.

"What was that for?" She's not complaining, but she wants to know what spurred him on.

"No reason." He shrugs, and then grins. "I really wanted to kiss you." He tilts his head away, and for a moment she sees shyness in his face.

"Doctor, why so coy? You can kiss me whenever you like." She really means that. "_Wherever _you like." She purrs as an afterthought. He gulps and scratches his chin, not sure how to react at all. She realises she might've gone a bit far, and hastily amends her statement. "It's okay, I don't expect anything from you, I know you're not there yet and I'm not expecting you to feel the same way that I do yet..." She's rambling, trying to stop him being frightened off for fear of losing him forever. "And I completely understand if you want me to go..." She lifts her body upwards, willing herself to just disappear.

She can't get up. His body is pinning her down, his legs still between hers. He stares at her intensely, his eyes boring into hers. He bends down to kiss her on the on the corner of the mouth, his lips just touching her skin briefly. He pulls back, still looking at her and she feels like his gaze is scorching, like it's marking her. He bends down again, pressing his lips to her jaw, kissing a trail down towards her chin then down her neck. She has a feeling that this is the first time he's done anything like this, and she very much loves that she's the one that gets to feel it. He pulls away, and this time his eyes are so dark that she can see entire galaxies in them, and he's looking right at her. She feels vulnerable, even though the rolls should be reversed.

He's just fulfilled everything she's said, but she won't know unless he tells her.

"You're wrong." He says simply, his head dipping.

"Wrong?" She questions. Her hand traces circles absent-mindedly on his hip.

"I want you to expect things from me, because I am there. We haven't yet – but I'm there. I trust you completely and utterly and I don't want to live another day when you're not catching me every time I fall out of an airship. I've fallen – quite literally. I love you." His gaze is still dark and intoxicating, but there's a softness to it now, and she can see the love there. "And I... I don't want you to go this time. I want you to stay – with me, for a while."

She understands now why there was such distance between this and their last meeting. She wants nothing more than to stay for a while, and for things to take their course – for his sake, at least. She feels happy knowing that perhaps this time his first won't quite be her last.

"I'd love to." She whispers, wishing that she had something less-corny to say, but she makes up for it with a breathless kiss, throwing her arms around his neck. This time she gets a mix of this Doctor and The Doctor she kissed the last time – it's still passionate and breathtaking, but that searching, sensual edge that she thought she'd seen the last of is there. She sighs happily, and reluctantly lets go as he pulls away.

"You know what?" He asks, twisting a curl of her hair between forefinger and thumb absentmindedly. "I think I'm beginning to enjoy falling."

**It would be lovely if you could take the time to review :)**


	3. Birthday

**OK, something radical here... Young River. I've been quite nervous about writing her, and I don't think I got her at all (particularly because we don't even know what she's like yet). However, I had to start writing her young sometime, so this is as good a chapter as any to start. I imagine her being mid-20's here. Tenses are difficult aren't they? So I'm in a different one for this one. Hope you don't mind. It's a week until Let's Kill Hitler! Are you excited? I'm excited.**

**3. Birthday**

"Doctor, seriously – what are you doing in there?" River knocked impatiently on the kitchen door.

"Nothing!" His voice was accompanied by the clatter of at least a dozen pots and pans hitting the floor.

"Are you alright? Should I come in?" She sounded concerned, but he hastily replied

"No! Don't come in! I'm fine..." She was about to turn away and occupy herself somewhere else in The TARDIS when she heard the unmistakable slam of wood hitting The Doctor's face as he walked into a cupboard door.

"Ow!" She heard him yell. He couldn't be trusted to be left to his own devices – in what situation was it reasonable for a 23 year old to be more mature and sensible than a 900-and-something year old?

"Doctor, seriously! If you don't come out here right now I'm coming in!" It may have sounded bossy and controlling, but without River to supervise his messing around and all the madcap schemes that he came up with, he was a danger to himself and society. Once she had left him in the bathroom at her apartment for ten minutes and he'd managed to combine several different shampoos and bubble baths until they ate through the bathtub, flooding the room. He simply couldn't be trusted – especially when he attempted domestics.

"No, River! Don't come in!" He protested, panic-stricken.

"Sorry Doctor, too late!" She pushed open the door and walked into the kitchen. "What the hell did you do?" She asked, bemusedly. She didn't know whether to be shocked or amused. Every visible surface was covered in some sort of doughy paste, the floor was coated in a fine layer of flour and The Doctor lay slumped against a corner cupboard, clutching his forehead. River carefully stepped around the kitchenware until she was standing next to The Doctor. Kneeling down next to him, she prised his hands away from his face and tried to get a better look at the wound. It wasn't that bad, but it had broken the skin and there was already a nasty bruise decorating the swelling.

"This is why you should never try and cook..." She tried not to laugh. "What were you doing anyway?"

"If you must know, I was _trying _to make you a cake." He huffed.

"A cake?" _Don't laugh. Don't laugh._

"Yes." He pointed to a mushy lump on the other side of the room. Walking across to get a better look, she saw what was probably intended to be a cake of some sorts, haphazardly decorated with runny blue icing. Messily piped across the top in black were the words 'Happy Birthday River'.

"It's... a cake." _Don't laugh. Don't laugh._

"Yes, it's a cake – what else does it look like?" He looked thoroughly crossed, and she couldn't help but smile at his childish demeanour.

"Well, to be perfectly honest – it looks like someone ate something their stomach didn't agree with." He folded his arms crossly at that.

"Well then, you're not having any." She nearly laughed out loud at that – he was suggesting that not getting to eat any of what he called cake was a punishment of sorts.

"If you're going to be difficult, I won't make_ you_ a cake on _your_ birthday!" She crossed back over the maze of pots and pans until she was standing next to him again.

"Well actually, I don't have a birthday, so hah!" He stuck his tongue out at her. Her smile disappeared.

"You don't have a birthday? That's horrible! You don't get presents, or cake! How did you survive all these years?" Her face was horror-struck.

"I'm a timelord. We manage perfectly well without birthdays, thank you very much." He replied adamantly.

"That's ridiculous. You have to have a birthday." She knelt down next to him. "I know! You can have yours today!"

"But River, today's your birthday! We can't have our birthdays on the same day..." His eyes were wide and he seemed tragically sad.

"We can today... It's unlikely they're going to overlap again." The Doctor remained unconvinced. "C'mon, it's just a birthday!" She tried to reason.

"What would we do for birthdays?" He asked cautiously. He didn't want to agree to anything without first knowing what the terms were.

"Well... _I'd _be the one making cake, for starters. We could give each other presents... And _other_ things..." She dropped her voice and smirked at him slightly.

"I think I'd like a birthday..." He grinned sheepishly. "But, could we possibly leave the real cake and presents until tomorrow? We could always do the _other _things now..." He suggested, raising his eyebrows.

"That sounds like an excellent birthday..." She grinned, about to stand up, but before she could she felt the floor disappear beneath her feet as he picked her up and carried her out of the kitchen, being careful not to trip up on any of the kitchenware that still littered the floor. He carried her down the corridor as she giggled, her torso dangling over his shoulder and down his back, legs swinging against his chest. When they reached the bedroom, he kicked the door open, growling as he set her down gently on the bed, pressing his legs hungrily to hers and wrestling the tweed from his shoulders.

"Happy Birthday, River." He whispered against her mouth, trailing down her jaw to press quick, warm kisses to her neck.

"Happy Birthday, Doctor." She managed to get out between gasps.

**It would be lovely if you could take half a minute to review :)**


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